Wish Us Happy Birthday

The Music Swap turns one...

It's my birthday tomorrow
No one here could know
I was born this Thursday
Twenty-two years ago

—Switchfoot, Let That Be Enough

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Tomorrow marks one year since the Music Swap went from a text thread between three friends to a newsletter. We still love to swap songs on that thread, but we also love expanding the Music Swap through this fun little Substack community. Thank you for showing up every week for the show.

To celebrate one year, Ben, Jonathan, and Kody share a song from the artists they featured on the very first Swap. The Bonus Track is the same theme from one year ago but written this time by the ever-eclectic Adam Tait, one of our Music Swap writers, who covers his jammin’ Mt. Rushmore artists. Let’s ride!!!

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If I Needed You (Cover) by Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires (Ben)

I started 2023 with a little Jason Isbell so I’m returning to the lyrical giant to start the year, however, I’m selecting a cover song. While it sounds silly given his songwriting ability, I think you’ll enjoy his cover of Don Williams' classic, If I Needed You (with Emmylou Harris). “Would you come to me for to ease my pain? I would swim the sea for to ease your pain…” Isbell joins his wife Amanda Shires on this tribute version.

Also available on Apple Music.

Kathleen by Josh Ritter (Kody)

“All the other girls here are stars, you are the Northern Lights”

What a pickup line!!! This song is magic and watching Ritter perform it live is magical. He’s touring the US to celebrate the 20th anniversary of his album, Hello Starling, on which Kathleen is one of the tracks. If you don’t know Josh, this song is a great introduction. If he’s coming to your city, check him out on the Hello Starling Tour.

Also available on Apple Music.

I Need Never Get Old by Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats (Jonathan)

In picking a song from the artist that I put on our very first Swap, I found it extremely difficult to narrow it down. There are so many great tracks from these soulful guys. This track is off their first album, which was released in 2015. Start the album and just let it play all the way through.

Also available on Apple Music.

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Bonus Track: A Musician Mount Rushmore by Adam Tait

It’s been around a year since the Music Swap first kicked off with its inaugural edition focusing on the origins of the Swap itself between three music-obsessed friends. At the conclusion of that initial Swap, our founding father (Kody Gibson) took us through his musician Mount Rushmore, spending his four-year term explaining the greatness of Ruston Kelly. Ruston Kelly also appears on my Mount Rushmore of musical artists, but I plan to spend a little bit of time focusing on my other Mt. Rush artists.

Adam’s Musician Mount Rushmore - The Grateful Dead, Goose, Dawes, and Ruston Kelly.

The Dead - A lot could be said about the greatest American band to ever walk the earth. You may disagree with that statement, but you can agree that they are the standard for jam bands. Their roots in bluegrass, their obsession with outlaw country, and their seamless ability to play in unison no matter where the song took them all to bring things back to where they began. I think the coolest thing about the Dead is the diversity of each of the members and what each of them brought to the band. You could never duplicate what they had and what they were able to do.

Check out Mat’s Dead for NOOBZ playlist.

Goose - My Dead Head Instagram algorithm led me to Goose. When I first stumbled upon them I was shocked by what I was seeing and hearing. I was very quickly obsessed and took the first chance I could to see them live. That show changed my life. It was unlike anything I have ever experienced. From the setlist to the lights to the dancing from nearly the entire room, and the yelling of, “Goooooooose” after every song. This band is my current favorite band and I look forward to seeing them in 2024.

Dawes - I think Kody may have introduced me to Dawes and they are a band I can easily get back into time and time again. Their uncanny ability to make such relatable music is inspiring. You can tell they are just guys writing music about life and it’s beautiful stuff. Dawes is a show I won’t miss. Taylor Goldsmith is your favorite frontman’s favorite frontman and Griffin Goldsmith plays those drums while singing like none other. Also, the last time I saw them there were two sets and no opener. What’s more Dead than that?

Ruston Kelly - If you want an incredible analysis of Ruston go back to the original Swap where KG lays it down. For me, Ruston makes music that is very unique. You can feel the pain in his writing and you can at times get choked up by the vulnerability. Ruston is a show that my wife and I do not miss and that is special to me because she usually doesn’t love the artists I see in concert.

I think I made Mat a Ruston for NOOBZ. If I find that, we’ll post it here later.

There you have it, my musician Mount Rushmore. From Washington to Lincoln and all the way around the universe.

The last two summers I saw Dead and Company by myself and if I could leave you with one piece of advice regarding music it would be: love the music you love even if no one else does.

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Adam Tait contributes every other week to the Music Swap. He works for an awesome camp that serves a lot of kids in Kentucky and Tennessee. Kanye West is his Mount Rushmore honorable mention and the first birthday song that comes to mind for him is January 28th by J. Cole. It’s a song about the greatest rapper born on January 28th, J. Cole himself.

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Who’s on your musician Mount Rushmore? We’d love to hear from you! It’s so good to be back! See you next week.

-TheMusicSwap